


The Professor

by AXEe



Series: Dr. Smith I Presume [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-06-26 07:59:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15659067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AXEe/pseuds/AXEe
Summary: Rose has got a crush on her quirky new physics professor





	1. The Teacher

**Author's Note:**

> Just some Human 13/Rose fluff with a quick guest appearance by Amy and Rory, Clara, Sarah Jane, River, and Vastra and Jenny. Enjoy :=)

******

Rose muffled a yawn as she shuffled on into her physics class with the rest of the sleepy student body. Finding a seat near the front, Rose waved distractedly towards Amy and Rory and Clara, who all waved back as they all found their own seats.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like physics (if anything she found that she had a passion for it) it was that their usual professor, Professor Saxton, always made it so _boring_ and seemed to take a perverse delight in not only remind his students that they weren’t likely going to get any well-paying jobs, but also had something of a wandering eye. Apparently he’d offered several female students ‘private lessons’.

Rose didn’t know if anyone actually took him up on that offer (she hoped not, the man was slime), but as the doors opened and a figure in a long blue coat confidently strode in, Rose was kind of hoping that Saxon had gotten himself in trouble.

“Good morning,” the woman proclaimed, grinning widely as she shrugged off her coat, revealing a black top and yellow suspenders, which she hooked her thumbs into and snapped lightly “are we all sitting comfortably?” she asked “we are? Brilliant!”

She turned towards the board and began writing on it

“I’m Dr. Jane Smith,” she introduced herself “I’ll be teaching you from now on,” she turned and pointed at student who’d raised his hand “yes?”

“Where’s Mr. Saxon?” he asked

Dr. Smith smirked mischievously as she idly flipped her short blonde hair out of her face

“Prison, I’d imagine,” she shrugged “anything else? No? OK, good,” she spun on her heel and began drawing up a complex equation. As she did, Rose watched her, entranced. She was wearing loose, baggy trousers which matched her coat, the shirt—which could either be dark green or black, Rose couldn’t tell—had a horizontal stripe of colors across it. Very eclectic.

Something about her drew Rose in and she missed the entirely of the woman’s—very energetic and spirited—lecture, and she jumped when the bell rang signaling the end of class and found herself wandering out into the hall in a bit of a star-struck daze

“Rose?”

She jumped at a tentative touch on her arm

“Sorry,” Rory pulled back, holding his arms up in surrender “didn’t mean to scare you,” he apologized “just…are you…OK? You seemed a bit…distracted in class”

“I’m fine, Rory,” she assured him “just a little sleepy. We still on for game night?”

“Definitely,” Rory nodded “Amy’s been waiting for a rematch all week”

“It’s not my fault I’m better at Pictionary than her” Rose laughed

“Who’s better than me?” Amy herself slid up behind her boyfriend “no one’s better than me, Tyler,” the Scotswoman proclaimed. She gave Rory a hard nudge “right?”

“Uh, right!” Rory nodded eagerly, clearly not wanting to contradict her “yes, definitely” he gave Rose a pleading look as Amy narrowed her eyes at him before dragging him off down the hall.

Rose shook her head, they were such an odd pair, but clearly smitten with each other, which only darkened her mood as she recalled her own abysmal love life. Or lack thereof.

There had been Mickey, but they’d grown apart, it had quiet and simple and she still saw him and Martha frequently, practically everyday to be honest. After Mickey, there’d been that little thieving snot Adam. After that awful mistake, there’d been Jack, but she and he had quickly become friends instead. And the less said about Jimmy Stone the better.

Walking across the darkening campus, she entered the women’s dorm and made her way into the rec room, finding Sarah Jane sitting in an armchair watching TV

“Hello, Rose,” she greeted warmly. Rose smiled, she liked Sarah; the older woman had come back to university to finish getting her degree in journalism and had had quite her share of adventures in her youth, and frequently regaled the other girls with fantastic, seemingly-impossible tales

“Everything all right?” Sarah asked as Rose plopped down on the couch

“Hmm?” Rose blinked, still somewhat lost in thought “sorry,” she apologized “just…we got a new physics professor today” she explained

“Oh yes,” Sarah pulled a magazine off the arm of her chair and held it out “read that” she explained as Rose scanned the headline ‘UNIVERSITY PROF. ARRESTED FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT’ it read, along with a very unflattering photo of Professor Saxon being lead away by two police officers, clearly ranting and raving as he was.

“Finally caught up with him, eh?” Rose asked as she handed the magazine back to Sarah

“About time, I say,” the other woman proclaimed “so, what’s troubling you?” she wondered. She frowned “ah!” she grinned

“’Ah’ what?” Rose asked “don’t ‘ah’ me”

“You’ve got a crush on this new teacher, don’t you?” Sarah teased

Rose fidgeted, scowling as Sarah’s triumphant smirk widened

“All right, maybe” she finally admitted

“So? What’s wrong with that?” Sarah wondered “you’re an adult and, I’m assuming, so is he”

“She” Rose corrected

Sarah blinked

“Oh. I see,” she frowned “hmm, I’m afraid this is a little out of my area of expertise” she admitted

“Hang on,” Rose began “are you suggesting that I actually…ask her out?”

“Why not?” Sarah shrugged “the university turns a blind eye to teacher-student relationships as long as both are quiet about it and not like Saxon,” she held up the magazine “I mean, look at Professor Stewart and Osgood. And we all know about Professor Song’s…” she coughed uncomfortably “…dalliances. As for her being a woman, I’m not the right person to ask” she explained as the door closed and two more people entered “but they are” Sarah chuckled as Jenny Flint and Vastra walked in.

Rose waved to them as they passed, Jenny waving back shyly as Vastra just ‘looked’ at her. Rose repressed a shiver, no wonder the other girls called her the Lizard Lady, and it wasn’t just because she had a pet snake (currently wound around her neck like a feather boa). Despite the frosty attitude, Rose knew Vastra to be quite gentle, practically doting on Jenny.

Yawning again, she stood up

“I’m going to bed,” she announced “g’night, Sarah”

“Good night, dear,” Sarah called “and Rose?” Rose turned “do think about what I said” Sarah encouraged.

Nodding, Rose shuffled off to bed…


	2. Lunchtime Talks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update! Chapter TWO! Enjoy! :=)

******

Sleep had eluded her for the most part, her night filled with tantalizing images of the eclectic Dr. Smith, and she coasted through most of her classes. Lunchtime her stomach cheered enthusiastically, and Rose made her way to the cafeteria with a bit of a spring in her step, finding Bill leaning across the lunch counter chatting with Heather (and completely ignoring her own duties as a result).

Looking around, she spotted Amy and Rory at a table with Clara and the foreign exchange student who Clara had a bit of a crush on. What was the girl’s name? Ashieldr? Something like that. A few tables over, Professor River Song with leading a group of starry eyed students in a enthusiastic lecture on the Howard Carter Expedition that uncovered King Tut’s mummy (and Rose was betting that least half the students in that group had a crush on the Professor. Hell, even Rose had a bit of a crush on her).

Further back, Donna Noble, the headmaster’s secretary (and the one person to go to if you really needed something through less than official channels), was having lunch by herself, phone held to one ear as she argued with her mother (again no doubt, and Rose made a mental note to swing by Donna’s desk in the headmaster’s office later today with a cup of coffee and a sympathetic ear).

And finally, sitting by herself, nose buried in worn paperback, was Dr. Smith. The teacher was sitting by the one lone window, the sunlight catching her blonde hair. Realizing that there was no where else to sit, Rose tentatively approached the teacher.

The other woman looked up, hazel eyes sparkling as she smiled

“Yes?” she asked

“Uh, sorry,” Rose swallowed against her dry mouth “but, uh, do you mind if…uh, er, can I sit here?” she stammered out

Dr. Smith smiled, beaming widely

“Certainly,” she invited “Rose, is it?”

“That’s right,” Rose nodded “I’m surprised you know me” she admitted

“Not many nineteen year olds can write a paper disproving Einstein” Dr. Smith smiled

Rose ducked her head as she blushed, hoping that the other woman didn’t see

“What are you reading?” she asked

“Ah, _A Christmas Carol_ ”

“Dickens?” Rose asked

“Yeah,” the teacher’s grin widened “oh, I love his work! Brilliant!”

“So do I” Rose exclaimed

“Really?” Dr. Smith’s grin widened even further, as if hearing this somehow trumped Rose’s paper “so,” Dr. Smith began, stirring more sugar into her tea “tell me about yourself, Rose” she asked

“Uh, well, not much to tell, really” Rose shrugged

Dr. Smith tutted

“Nonsense,” she declared. She stabbed a finger at Rose “there’s always something to tell. _Always_ ” she proclaimed

“Well…,” Rose began and suddenly found herself telling this woman her whole life story practically. About Mickey, about the father she never knew but wished she had, about growing up in a council estate, dealing with Jackie’s odd collection of friends, her odd friendship with Jack, and even about Jimmy Stone. And through it all the woman had listened intently, clearly hanging on to every word, enraptured, and by time Rose looked up at the clock she realized with a start that she’d missed at least three classes

“Oh my god!” she bolted up out of her chair, knocking it over

“Relax,” Dr. Smith smiled, patting her hand gently “no use crying over spilt milk and all that,” she stood up herself “I’ll talk to your other teachers tomorrow, tell them that I was giving you some tutoring and lost track of time” she explained

“You’d do that for me?” Rose asked

“Of course,” Dr. Smith shrugged “what are friends for?” she winked and then tapped her nose “but, shh, don’t tell the other teachers, they’ll get jealous,” she grinned that wide beaming grin that Rose was rapidly falling for “in the meantime,” the teacher continued “would you like to have dinner with me? There’s a nice little pub just off campus that I know”

Rose mentally ran through a list of reasons why she _shouldn’t_ accept the offer, but found herself saying

“Sure, I’d love to”

Dr. Smith beamed brightly

“Brilliant!” she proclaimed “meet me by that broken statue on the west side, say around eight?

“Eight” Rose nodded, and as the doctor walked off whistling cheerfully, Rose was left to wonder what just happened…


	3. The Not a Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triple update! Chapter THREE! Enjoy! :=)

******

“It’s _not_ a date!” Rose exclaimed for what felt like the thousandth time

“N-o,” Amy drawled, the sarcasm just dripping in her voice “of course not”

“Nope, definitely just a friendly dinner” Clara added, equally as sarcastic as Amy

“Come on, girls,” Sarah Jane reprimanded “enough teasing, Rose has plenty of things on her mind as it is”

“Thank you” Rose sighed

“…like what she should wear to this date” Sarah continued

“Oh not you too” Rose groaned as Sarah laughed heartily

“Oh, we’re just teasing, dear,” Sarah soothed “but, to be perfectly blunt, it wouldn’t kill you to go out every once and awhile”

“Yeah, go out, have some fun,” Clara urged “even if all she wants is some company”

“I think she should go,”

The group turned, startled as Vastra spoke up. The so-called lizard lady looked up cuddling with her pet snake and Jenny (who was napping curled up against her), her bright emerald green eyes piercing into Rose’s own

“You never know when you’ll meet the one you’re destined to be with,” she proclaimed “so take every opportunity you find”

“Well that settles it then,” Clara muttered “if _Vastra_ says that you should go then you should go”

“Yeah,” Rose muttered, still a little shocked “guess so” Vastra usually didn’t talk much to anyone save Jenny or her snake, seeming to ignore the rest of the students on general principal. The fact that she’d not only deigned to speak, but to actually give an opinion, and on someone’s love life no less, only gave weight to the others encouragement.

Slowly Rose turned to Amy, Clara and Sarah Jane

“Help me pick out something to wear?” she asked…

******

The headmaster’s office was quiet at this time of night, the only person there was Donna who already closing up shop for the night. Rose knocked on the doorframe, startling Donna, who jumped about twenty feet into the air, shrieking

“Oh bloody hell! Don’t _do that_ , Tyler!” she exclaimed, a hand over her heart

“Sorry,” Rose apologized “but, I need a pass”

Donna blinked, looking Rose up and down

“You got a date or something?” she asked

“Something,” Rose shrugged “so, can I get a pass?”

“Bit late isn’t it?” Donna asked even as she found a pass and filled out the appropriate information and signed it, holding it out to Rose, only to pull it back at the last second “what do I get out of this, besides maybe getting fired?” she asked

Rose sighed

“Come over to the girls’ dorm in an hour, I’ll tell you all how it went” she explained tiredly

Donna grinned and relinquished the pass

“Deal” she proclaimed…

******

Dr. Smith was waiting by the broken statue just as promised. The statue was of an angel, or at least it used to be, legend had it that a group of students had broken it during a prank years ago, and now the so-called ‘weeping angel’ was missing it’s head and one arm. The damn thing always gave Rose the creeps every time she saw it, especially at night, and some people on campus swore they’d seen it move.

As she saw Rose, Dr. Smith stood up and waved eagerly

“You’re right on time,” she greeted. She stepped back slightly and looked Rose up and down “that is a lovely dress” she beamed

“Really?” Rose asked, feeling her tension ease somewhat at the compliment

“Really,” Dr. Smith nodded “well, shall we?” she held out an arm “it’s not far, we can just walk” she explained as they walked down the path, leaving the campus and turning onto a quiet side street. At the end of the street was large blue box with the words ‘POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX’ on a sign at the top

“So, where’s this pub?” Rose asked, looking around

Dr. Smith smiled and nodded towards the box

“Right here,” she explained as she opened the small panel marked ‘PULL TO OPEN’, revealing an old fashioned telephone, which she picked up and put to her ear “bad wolf,” she spoke. There was a click as the door unlocked, and Dr. Smith hung up the phone “come on,” she invited. She laughed at Rose’s skeptical look “don’t worry, it’s _much_ bigger on the inside,” she assured the girl, holding out a hand and wiggling her fingers invitingly.

Pushing aside the butterflies in her stomach, Rose took the offered hand and allowed the doctor to pull her inside, finding that the police box served as an entrance to the pub. The floor of the box had been removed, making space for a narrow staircase leading down below street level, which led to a large, dark, but inviting room. People of all ages, races, and creeds milled about, talking, laughing, and generally having a good time.

“Rose Tyler,” Dr. Smith beamed, sweeping her hand around the room in a wide, encompassing gesture “welcome to…Torchwood”

“Blimey!” Rose swore as she looked around the space “how come I never heard of this place?” she wondered as they took a seat at the bar “is it like a ‘members only’ type of set up?”

“No,” Dr. Smith laughed “just eclectic,” she explained “and run by a mutual friend of ours” she added as the bartender came over

“Jack?” Rose asked, surprised as Jack Harkness grinned widely at her

“Hey! Rose!” he laughed, reaching across the bar to pull her into a hug “so you finally showed up, eh?” he asked as he quickly got her a beer

“Finally?” Rose looked around in confusion “Torchwood!” she exclaimed “oh, Jack, I’m sorry, how could I forget about your baby?” she apologized, suddenly recalling Jack’s near-constant invites to the pub he’d opened up. She kept meaning to come but had had never had the time

“Ah,” Jack waved a hand dismissively “don’t worry about it,” he grinned as he turned to Dr. Smith “so, Doc, what brings you by?” he wondered “after what happened last time I thought you’d never show up again”

Dr. Smith smiled, nodding towards Rose

“I found a new reason to come” she explained

Jack grinned

“So I see,” he chuckled “here,” he quickly whipped up two rich-looking drinks “on the house” he proclaimed as he slid them forward

“Oh, wow,” Rose exclaimed as she took a sip “wow, what is this? This is great” she exclaimed

“Hmm, that is good” Dr. Smith agreed

“What’s in it?” Rose asked

“Eh, you know, a little of this, little of that,” Jack shrugged “just go easy, huh? That stuff doesn’t taste like it, but it packs a mean kick” he warned as he left to go serve some other customers

“Do you like chips?” Dr. Smith asked “the chips here are quite good”

Rose chuckled

“I love chips”

“Lovely,” Dr. Smith smiled, her smile suddenly faltering as she reached into her pocket “damn it,” she swore “I, uh,” she blushed, looking crestfallen “it looks like I forgot my wallet” she admitted reluctantly, looking utterly distraught at the revelation

Rose chuckled

“I’ll pay, don’t worry” she assured the other woman as the music—coming from a live band and not a sound system—changed tune, playing an old song

“Rose,” Dr. Smith stood up, sheepishly offering her hand “would you care to dance?”

Rose grinned as she took the offered hand, their fingers intertwining and lacing together easily

“I’d love to,” she breathed as the doctor pulled her towards the center of the room and they swayed to the strains of _Moonlight Serenade_ , dancing as if they’d been dancing together for years, Rose finding herself getting lost in hazel eyes that seemed so full of life and yet somewhat sad too

“Dr. Smith…” she began

“Jane,” the other woman corrected, her voice breathless “no titles tonight” she explained

“Jane..,” Rose corrected “I’ve never…I mean, I don’t usually…I’m not…,” she closed her eyes, groaning as she took a nervous breath “is this a date?” she finally asked

“I’d like to think so,” Jane answered “and I’d like to think that you think so too”

“But, what if…,” Rose began “I didn’t want to?” she wondered

Jane stopped suddenly, dropping Rose’s hands

“No, wait!” Rose grabbed her arm as she turned to leave “I didn’t mean it like that!” she exclaimed “I just…I’ve never…you know…‘liked’ woman like… _that_ ” she explained

“Like what?” Jane asked “like a person?” she shook her head “despite what people tell you, Rose, humans can’t be put into neat little boxes with neat little labels on them. We’re not a bunch of mindless drones”

“You’re right,” Rose sighed “I’m sorry”

Jane smirked

“Apology accepted,” she took Rose’s hands again “as for your question, let’s just see where the night takes us…”

******

They spent the rest of the night at the pub, dancing, eating, drinking, laughing, and enjoying themselves. They finally left only because it was closing time and Jack had thrown them out.

Walking back to campus on slightly wobbly legs arm and arm, Rose had never felt more complete than she did just then

“Wales?” Jane asked incredulously “that’s the farthest you’ve ever traveled?”

“’Fraid so,” Rose shrugged “why? Have you traveled a lot?”

Jane chuckled

“I never stop really,” she admitted “I’ve been everywhere at least a dozen times and every time I find something new”

“Oh, I’d love to travel like that,” Rose sighed “you know? Just grab a bag and then just…go. Don’t bother planning on where you’re going just go”

“That’s what I do,” Jane laughed “sometimes I’ll pick up a map or a globe, close my eyes, and then just point, and wherever my finger lands, I go there. Not a bad life, eh?”

“Could be better with two” Rose grinned, suddenly blushing as she realized what she’d said. However, Jane smiled softly at her, idly brushing a bit of hair away from her face

“Yes, it could” she agreed softly, suddenly leaning in to place a gentle, soft kiss against Rose’s lips. Sighing into the kiss, Rose wound her arms around Jane’s waist, pulling her close, suddenly wanting this moment to last forever, but, unfortunately, the need to breathe reared its head, and, reluctantly, she pulled away from the kiss

“So, uh,” she coughed a bit to get focused “this is me, obviously” she pointed at the woman’s dorm

“Obviously,” Jane chuckled “well, good night, Rose”

“Good night, Jane,” Rose smiled “I’ll see you class tomorrow?”

“Of course” Jane chuckled as Rose reluctantly slipped inside the door. Leaning against it, she took a deep breath, feeling giddy as she pushed off it and walked down the hall, suddenly freezing in the door to the rec room, where Amy, Clara, Sarah Jane, and Donna were all waiting

“Well?” Amy demanded “how’d it go?”


	4. Lovenotes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back! Yes, "The Professor" is finally being updated! Enjoy :=)

******

“Come on!” Amy pounded on Rose’s bedroom door harder “just tell us!”

“No!” Rose yelled back, throwing a pillow at the door for good measure

“Tyler! Ve have vays of making you talk!” Donna warned in a very _bad_ accent

“No” Rose repeated

“You were out all night,” Clara called “so _something_ happened”

“Rose,” Sarah Jane called out, sounding concerned “nothing…bad happened, did it?”

Rose blinked and then got up off the bed and opened the door, finding the others all crowded outside the door, looking concerned

“No,” she sighed “nothing bad happened”

“So, what did happen?” Amy asked

Rose sighed and held the door open wider, inviting them in, where they all crowd around the small space, most of them sitting down on the bed

“So?” Clara prompted

“We went to a pub,” Rose began “had some drinks, danced for a bit”

“Danced?” Donna asked “or… _‘danced’_?”

Clara groaned and gave her a hard nudge in the ribs

“No,” Rose laughed, blushing at the thoughts Donna’s comment brought to mind “just regular dancing”

“Did you kiss her?” Amy asked

Rose blushed, earning a grin from Amy and Clara and a hearty laugh from Donna

“You did, didn’t you?” Donna grinned

“Donna!” Sarah hissed “don’t embarrass the girl”

“Are you going to see her again?” Clara asked

“Maybe” Rose shrugged…

******

Meanwhile, Dr. Jane Smith slipped into her cluttered office, sidestepping half-open boxes and haphazardly arranged furniture to finally reach her desk. Shuffling around to the chair she sat down, putting her feet up on the desk

“Rose Tyler,” she mused with a chuckle as she touched her still-tingling lips “oh, you brilliant girl” she whispered…

******

The next day, Rose and Amy, Rory, and Clara slipped into Dr. Smith’s class as quietly as possible, they were slightly late, the good doctor already in the midst of another enthusiastic lecture on thermodynamics.

For her part, Rose was ashamed to admit that she barely heard the lecture, more interested in watching Jane Smith eagerly dance about the room, filled with a gleeful energy, and Rose startled when the bell rang and a piece of paper was set down on her desk.

Blinking, she recognized it was one of her previous papers, written in the top corner in red were seven words

See me in my office later?

Smirking, Rose quickly pocked the paper and felt herself blush as Jane smiled at her as she slipped out of the room…

******

“ _So? Are you going to go see her?_ ” Mickey asked over the phone

“Yeah, I think so” Rose answered as she settled under her favorite tree

“ _Good,_ ” Mickey declared “ _you’ve been alone for too long, Rose, you need someone_ ”

“Oh, don’t you start,” Rose grumbled “its bad enough I have Mum saying that every time she calls”

“ _Well, its true,_ ” Mickey pointed out “ _still, didn’t know that you like girls_ ”

“I don’t,” Rose shook her head even though he couldn’t see her “it’s not like that, she’s…I don’t know, she’s…” she trailed off

“ _Special, yeah, I get it,_ ” Mickey chuckled “ _listen, got to go, give Amy and Rory our love, eh?_ ”

“All right,” Rose chuckled “give Martha my love”

“ _Will do_ ”

“Bye, Micks” hanging up, Rose chuckled, feeling lighter as she always did after talking to Mickey. Pulling the paper out of her pocket, she smiled at the note and then glanced at her watch, it was late, but not so late that she’d be breaking curfew.

Standing up, she walked towards the administrative building…


	5. Round the World We Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update! Enjoy :=)

******

Jane Smith’s office was in the older part of the university, the walls were all paneled with varnished oak wood and oil paintings of past professors and other important figures from the school’s history hung from the walls, looking dourly down at all who passed.

Rose would be lying if she said that she felt a little out of place in her off-the-rack t-shirt, jeans, and old trainers. Pushing down the nerves as she reached the door marked ‘PHYSICS’ she knocked on it

“Oh, Rose”

Turning, she smiled as River Song waved as she came over

“Hello, Professor” Rose greeted

“River, please,” River corrected. She nodded towards the door “here to see Jane?” she asked

“Yeah,” Rose nodded “do you know her?” she wondered

“I met her a few times,” River nodded “actually, she saved my life once” she admitted

“Really?” Rose’s eyebrows rose “how’d that happen?” she wondered

River smirked mysteriously

“Spoilers, sweetie,” she chuckled as she moved on down the hall “give her my love” she called as she rounded the corner. Now alone, Rose glanced at the door again and knocked once more. From inside, there was a muffled thump and a curse, followed by a series of bangs and grunts as something heavy was being moved it seemed before the door suddenly swung open, a red-faced Jane Smith leaning out

“Oh, Rose,” she panted out, looking a little winded “good, you can help me,” without further explanation, she promptly grabbed Rose’s hand and yanked her inside, slamming the door shut.

The office was surprisingly spacious; or rather it would have been if not for the numerous boxes taking up most of the floor space (as well as much of the furniture)

“I keep telling myself that I should throw away some of this stuff, but I never can,” Jane sighed “sorry to bring you here under false pretenses” she apologized

“No, no, it’s fine,” Rose dismissed, finding herself not caring why she was here just as long as she could be around Jane “so, where do we start?”

“Let’s start with the fragile stuff first,” Jane instructed as she dug into a large box, bits of old newspaper flying every which way as she unearthed a Grecian urn “ah, I was wondering where you’d got to” she remarked as she put it on a shelf

“Is all this stuff souvenirs from your trips?” Rose wondered as she dug through a box, emerging with a Ming vase, an African tribal mask, and a well-worn Japanese-to-English dictionary

“More or less” Jane answered as she dug through another box, emerging with several books, which she absently tossed onto a chair, seemingly not caring where they landed.

Digging through another box, Rose unearthed a stack of framed degrees. Pausing, she marveled at them, finding that Jane actually had multiple degrees, one in history, one in linguistics, one in quantum physics, and another in advanced particle physics, aerodynamics, aeronautics, marine biology. It seemed that for every subject one could get a degree in Jane had one.

“Uh, where do I put these?” Rose asked, hefting the stack of frames

Jane looked over

“Oh, just put them anywhere,” she instructed “put them in a drawer if you want” she dismissed

“Don’t you want to display them?” Rose wondered

“Nah,” Jane shook her head “actions speak louder than words, Rose. If I want to recognized, I want it to be because of my work, not because of some fancy piece of paper,” she explained as she held up several picture frames “ah! Now these deserve a place of honor!” she proclaimed, quickly sweeping the desk clear of papers and setting the pictures down in a neat row.

Coming over, Rose examined them, finding that they were pictures of Jane in various places around the world. Some were the obligatory tourist photos, one of her standing in front of the leaning tower of Pisa, another in front of the Eiffel Tower, but others were more obscure. There was one of her walking a goat on a leash in some dusty African village, another one—presumably a sequel to the other one—of her holding a baby goat.

There were others photos, presumably taken by Jane herself, of people and places that Rose didn’t recognize, a street market in what looked like either Vietnam or possibly Cambodia or somewhere in Southeast Asia, the interior of some kind of temple, a canyon whose walls were dotted with paintings and carvings, and so on, there were dozens, she must have used up entire rolls of film Rose thought, amazed.

“Nice aren’t they?”

Rose startled, jumping at Jane’s voice. Smiling, the professor gave her a playful nudge

“You should join me sometime” she invited

“Where?” Rose wondered, finding the idea incredibly appealing

“Anywhere,” Jane held up a globe and set it down on the desk, giving it a spin, before suddenly stopping it, stabbing her finger down at a random point “ah, Vietnam, brilliant” she grinned

“What? Seriously?” Rose asked “just…pack a bag and go?”

“Why not?” Jane shrugged “winter break’s coming up soon, you take a few days away from family, come with me”

Rose glanced at the globe, then at the photos, and finally at Jane’s beaming face

“Why not” she agreed…

******

“ _You’re going to do what?!?_ Jackie demanded

“Just traveling” Rose sighed into the phone; honestly this conversation had gone much better in her head

“ _With your professor?_ ” Jackie demanded “ _how old is he? Forty? Forty five?_ ”

“I don’t know how old she is” Rose admitted

“ _‘She’?!_ ” Jackie squeaked

Rose sighed

“Look, Mum, it’ll only before a few days,” she explained “a week at most, then I’ll come back and spend Christmas with you” she promised

There was a long silence before Jackie sighed

“ _I want to meet this professor of yours_ ” she finally declared

“All right,” Rose agreed “that’s fair”

“ _Maybe you can bring her by for dinner tomorrow,_ ” Jackie hinted “ _I’ll make shepherd’s pie_ ”

Rose grimaced and hoped that Jane had a strong stomach, Jackie’s shepherd’s pie left much to be desired

“I’ll ask,” she said “no guarantees though” she warned…

******

“Dinner?” Jane echoed as she walked Rose back to the dorm

“I know, I know,” Rose sighed “look, she just wants to meet you”

“She wants to see if I’m trustworthy you mean,” Jane chuckled “she won’t slap me, will she?”

“God, I hope not,” Rose muttered “so? Will you come?”

“Well, seeing as how if I don’t you won’t come with me, I’ll guess I’ll have to, won’t I?” Jane chuckled as they reached the women’s dorm

“Right,” Rose chuckled “so…eight?”

“Eight,” Jane agreed. She leaned in and gave Rose a gentle kiss on the cheek “good night, Rose”

“Good night, Jane” Rose whispered, watching, mesmerized, as the other woman walked away, some of the lightly falling snowflakes catching in her hair.

Donna was right, Rose realized, she had it bad…


	6. Dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter SIX! Enjoy :=)

******

“Dinner with your mother,” Sarah Jane pursed her lips thoughtfully “isn’t that a tad…fast?” she wondered

Rose groaned and shook her head

“Its different with Jane,” she explained, feeling like she’d had this conversation a dozen times already “its like…,” she shook her head “it’s like…”

“She’s special,” Sarah Jane nodded “there’s something about her that just draws you in, makes you feel like you’re the most important person on the planet”

“Yeah, exactly” Rose nodded

Sarah smiled a tad wistfully

“I knew man like that once,” she remarked a faraway look in her eyes “funnily enough, but he was called ‘John Smith’. Strange”

“What happened?” Rose asked, intrigued

Sarah blinked and then shook her head

“Another time, dear,” she dismissed “well, you’d better be getting to bed, you’ve got a busy day tomorrow”

“Yeah” Rose agreed…

******

The next day dawned and passed without incident. That wasn’t to say that it was a ‘normal’ day, far from it in fact. Rose spent half the day on pins and needles, worrying about her mother, worrying about her mother meeting Jane, worrying about Jane meeting her mother, worrying about Jackie’s cooking.

Finally the day ended and, still with an unhealthy amount of butterflies in her stomach, Rose met Jane by the Weeping Angel statue

“Thought you’d chickened out on me” Jane remarked as she stood up

“Nope, not a chance,” Rose grinned, feeling her nerves ease somewhat at the sight of the other woman “well?” she offered her arm, which Jane quickly hooked her own through

“Let’s go” she grinned…

******

Part of the reason that Rose didn’t visit Jackie as often as she could was the university was so far. First they had to take the train to get to London proper, then the Tube, followed by two buses to get to the Powell Estate.

Hopping off the bus, Rose felt another bubble of unease well up inside her. How would Jane react to seeing the flat? Granted she’d already told her about growing up on a council estate, but still…

“Rose? You all right?” Jane frowned at her

“Yeah,” she nodded “it’s this way”

As expected, Jane didn’t blink at the sight of the estate, just tucked her hands into her pockets and playfully nudged Rose’s shoulder as they crossed the courtyard, both women pausing at a rather rude yell from a man on a balcony

“You kiss your mother with that mouth, mate?” Rose called out

“Rose, Rose,” Jane lightly tugged on her arm “just ignore him, love, people like that don’t change” she advised as they quickly ascended the stairs towards the flat. Walking up to the door, Rose froze, suddenly turning to Jane

“Let’s just go” she urged

“Rose…” Jane gave her a pointed look

“All right” she groaned as she knocked very lightly on the door

“Oh for the love…” Jane reached out and knocked once on the door. Instantly the door swung open, Jackie Tyler sweeping out in a blur of motion to _yank_ Rose into a fierce embrace

“Oh! My baby’s back!” she cried, squeezing Rose tightly as if she was a life preserver

“Hi Mum,” Rose grunted out as she finally managed to pull herself free “uh, Mum, this, this is Jane” she introduced, cringing as Jackie visibly sized the professor up

“So…,” she finally began “you’re dating my daughter” she stated

“That’s right” Jane nodded, looking totally unaffected by Jackie’s gaze, and Rose silently cheered in her head as Jackie looked Jane up and down, taking in her eclectic outfit, before finally holding the door open

“Come on in,” she invited “dinner’ll be a few minutes” she explained as Rose and Jane sat down at the table, Jane’s chair noticeably wobbling slightly and Rose mentally groaned, Jackie had given her the wobbly chair, wonderful.

“So,” Jackie sat down opposite Jane “Jane was it? Tell me about yourself”

And for the first time Rose since had known her, Jane Smith paled and gulped nervously…


	7. Doctor who?

******

Rose glanced between Jane and Jackie, watching as Jane began to nervously fidget, the ‘ding’ of the oven timer startling all of them, and Jane breathed a visible sigh of relief as Jackie quickly stood up to check on dinner.

Frowning, Rose leaned towards Jane

“You all right?” she asked in a quiet whisper

“No,” Jane hissed “god, I hate it when people ask me that” she muttered

“Why?” Rose wondered

“Because there’s _nothing_ to tell!” Jane hissed, shooting Jackie furtive glances

“I don’t understand,” Rose shook her head “what’d you mean?”

Jane sighed

“Rose, I’m an amnesiac,” she explained “I literally can’t remember anything of my life past thirteen years ago. ‘Jane Smith’ isn’t even my real name, just what they put on the forms when I woke up in the hospital”

Rose stared at her, torn between shock and pity when Jackie came back over bearing three plates of slightly-charred, but still edible-looking shepherd’s pie

“So,” Jackie began “Jane, you were going to tell us about yourself” she prompted

“Actually, Mum,” Rose swiftly interrupted “Jane’s got quite the education. She’s got, what, five? Degrees?”

“Six” Jane corrected, shooting Rose a grateful look as Jackie looked surprised

“Really?” Jackie echoed, clearly beginning to reverse her opinion of Jane “and this traveling business?” she asked “do you always travel with students?”

“No, just Rose,” Jane answered, clearly beginning to relax “actually, Rose tells me that she’s always wanted to travel,” she added “so, I figured, why not indulge her?”

Jackie looked between her daughter and Jane, nodding slowly…

******

The rest of dinner passed without incident, Jackie was clearly warming up to Jane, and by the time everyone was finished and Rose was helping Jackie wash up, Jackie was still reluctant but accepting of the idea of Rose going off on a trip with Jane

“You have to promise to call me,” she cautioned “just so’s I know you’re all right”

“I will Mum” Rose laughed

“And send me some pictures, yeah?” Jackie added “Bex’ll like ‘em”

Rose chuckled as Jackie dried her hands and suddenly pulled Rose into a tight hug

“You’ll be careful won’t you, sweetheart?” she asked worriedly

“I will” Rose nodded, hugging Jackie back tightly…

******

Rose found Jane outside on the balcony staring out at the city, she looked…pensive Rose thought as she quietly approached

“So…” she began

“So” Jane repeated

“Amnesia, huh?” Rose asked

“Yep” Jane nodded

“God,” Rose shook her head “that’s just…awful”

Jane shrugged

“I’ve learned to live with it” she dismissed

“So, they didn’t find anything to tell you who you really are?” Rose wondered “I mean, no wallet? Credit cards? Nothing?”

Jane shook her head

“They think I was mugged,” she explained “had some pretty severe head trauma, for a while there they weren’t even sure if I was ever going to wake up. When I finally did I apparently started demanding jelly babies”

“Jelly babies?” Rose echoed

Jane nodded

“Apparently there was bag of them in my pocket,” she explained “along with a key and a movie ticket, nothing else,” she reached into her pocket and held out a small silver key “never been able to figure out what this opens, if anything” she explained

“What about family?” Rose wondered “friends?”

Jane shook her head

“No one came to collect me if that’s what you’re asking. So either I didn’t have any friends or family or, if I did, they didn’t care about me”

Rose shook her head in disbelief

“Is that why you travel?” she wondered “trying to find out who you are?”

“It started out that way,” Jane nodded “but soon I found out that I just liked it, I liked going to new places and meeting new people, getting into trouble. It’s fun,” she turned to Rose, smiling softly “I realized something after about a year, my memory’s probably not going to come back, and that’s OK, because I made a life for myself as ‘Jane Smith’. If I do find some link to my past that’s great, fantastic, but it’s not my top priority anymore,” she smirked and playfully nudged Rose in arm “still want to travel with me?” she asked

“Definitely” Rose swore, quickly leaning in and pulling Jane into a kiss…


	8. Happy Travels, Rose Tyler

******

The next two weeks passed without much fanfare, most of the student body was scrambling to finish any overdue papers and the like before winter break, and the teachers were scrambling to finish grading said papers before winter break.

Rose should have been one of those students, she shouldn’t have been in Dr. Smith’s office when she should have been studying, and she _certainly_ shouldn’t have been pressed against the wall with Jane Smith kissing her for all she was worth.

Balling her fists into the soft fabric of Jane’s shirt, Rose broke away from the kiss, gasping for breath, she felt lightheaded and tingly all over, if this was what it was like to kiss another woman she was never going back to men she thought giddily. Or maybe it was just Jane she added as she stared into twinkling hazel eyes as she rested her forehead against Jane’s, panting for breath

“Did-didn’t you call me over her to work on a paper?” she panted out

“Yes,” Jane nodded, looking equally winded “but,” she started to plant little nibbles along Rose’s jawline “ _I got distracted_ ” she purred in Rose’s ear, hot breath ghosting across Rose’s skin.

Both women froze at a knock at the office door

“Dr. Smith?” a woman’s voice called out

Jane cursed colorfully

“Quick!” she hissed, grabbing Rose’s arm and yanking her towards a closet “inside!” she hissed “and yes, I’m aware of the irony” she added at Rose’s smirk before she unceremoniously shoved Rose inside and shut the door. Smoothing out her shirt (and her hair), Jane turned to the main door and pull it open

“Ah, River,” she smiled at the archaeologist “what brings you by?” she wondered

“Well, I was wondering if you know where Rose is,” River explained “since she’s leaving on her trip I thought that we should give her a proper send off”

“Oh, I see,” Jane nodded “well, I haven’t seen her, but if I do, I’ll be sure to let her know”

A loud _thump_ startled both women and River’s eyes narrowed

“What was that?” she asked

“What was what?” Jane countered, trying—and failing—for utter innocence

“Is someone in there with you?” River asked, brushing past Jane into the office proper. Frowning as she stood in the middle of the room, she slowly looked around, head swinging for the closet door as a muffled sneeze came from within. Before Jane could stop her, River had already marched over and yanked open the door, finding Rose hunkering down behind a lopsided stack of dusty books, who waved sheepishly at River as she squinted in the light.

Smirking, River slowly turned to look back at Jane

“Oh, Jane, really? In your office?” she asked, she tutted and shook her head “never have an illicit rendezvous in your office during work hours”

“And I suppose you’re the expert are you?” Jane challenged as Rose climbed out of the closet, dusting herself off

“Well, actually, I am” River answered with a smirk…

******

“You weren’t?” Donna asked “seriously? _You_? Making out in her office?”

“Yes,” Rose sighed as she sat down opposite Sarah Jane “and what’d you mean ‘me’?” she demanded

“Well, let’s face it,” Donna chuckled “you are a bit of a goody-goody”

Rose squawked indignantly but was prevented from throwing her napkin at Donna’s head by Amy and Rory coming in, Clara trailing behind proudly holding up a bottle of what looked like sparkling cider as River and Jane came in

“Right,” Clara quickly opened the bottle with a quiet _pop_ “a toast,” she proclaimed as she poured several glasses and passed them out “to Rose Tyler. She’s been a good friend, a good student, and, at times, a royal pain,”

This earned a groan from Rose herself and a hearty laugh from Donna

“But, through it all,” Clara continued “if you ever needed a helping hand, a shoulder to cry on, or just a bonk on the head to knock some common sense into you, she’s been there. So,” she held up her glass “Rose, love, this is for you; happy travels”

“Happy travels” the other chorused as they clinked their glasses together

“We’ll miss you, darling,” Sarah Jane added, quickly standing up and pulling Rose into a hug “you’ll have to promise to come back soon” she added

“I will” Rose vowed

“And do stop by Istanbul sometime,” River added “I’m supervising a dig there, be nice to see you”

“Rory” Amy nudged Rory, who winced and then brightened as he held up a large shopping bag

“Uh, we got you some supplies,” he explained as he handed the bag to Rose “you know, backpack, camera, spare socks, the like” he shrugged

“So, when are you leaving?” Clara asked as Rose grinned at what she found in the bag

“Tomorrow,” Jane answered “right as winter break starts”

“Sounds good,” Sarah Jane nodded. She gave the two blondes a somewhat wistful smile “I almost wish I was going with you” she remarked

“You can,” Rose insisted “always room for one more, right?” she looked at Jane, who nodded

“Of course,” she nodded “the more the merrier”

Sarah Jane smiled and shook her head

“Thank you, but no, my traveling days are done, time to let someone else have all the adventures. Which reminds me,” she reached into her bag and pulled out a well-worn leather notebook which she handed to Rose “my old journal,” she explained “its probably horribly out of date by now, but it should provide you with at least some insight and advice on all the places you’ll see”

“Thank you” Rose breathed, awed by the gesture

“Right,” Amy proclaimed “who’s up for the pub? One last drink before our girl leaves?”

There was a flurry of eager agreements from the others

“I know just the place” Rose grinned…

******

In what seemed like a matter of moments the group had descended upon Torchwood like a wave of invading Normans, and Jack Harkness had a time keeping up with everyone’s orders. But he was all smiles as he pulled Rose into a tight hug and handed her what looked like a notebook

“My old journal from my Army days,” he explained “I know Sarah Jane already gave you hers, but two couldn’t hurt”

“No, it couldn’t,” Rose grinned as she hugged him tight “goodbye Jack”

“Hey, none of the mushy stuff, Tyler,” he teased “just send me a postcard and we’ll be fine” but she could see that he was going to miss her, they all were she realized as she looked around the table at the people who’d become more than just her friends, they’d become her family…

******

“You sure you’ve got everything?” Jackie asked from the backseat

“Yes, Mum” Rose sighed. Besides her, behind the wheel, Martha smirked but said nothing as she pulled in front of the concord at Heathrow

“Here we are,” Mickey sighed. He leaned between the front seats and gave Rose’s shoulder a firm squeeze “we’re gonna miss you, Rose” he said

“I know,” Rose nodded, smiling as she spotted Jane standing on the curb, waving “but…it’s worth it” she added

“It is…isn’t it?” Jackie mused quietly, she reached out and took Rose’s hand, squeezing tightly “you be careful, sweetheart”

“I will” Rose nodded

“And,” Jackie glanced at Jane, smirking “you make sure that she treats you right”

Rose chuckled

“She will, Mum, she will” she vowed

“You’d better hurry,” Martha said gently “your flight leaves in a few minutes”

“Right” Rose took a breath and then opened the door, grabbing her heavily-stuffed backpack and slinging it over her shoulder. She paused halfway towards Jane and then turned back and hurried back, pulling Martha, Mickey and Jackie all into a firm embrace, squeezing tightly

“Goodbye” she sniffled, reluctantly pulling away. As she turned around she wondered if she was doing the right thing, suddenly dropping everything to go travel the world with a woman she barely knew, but as she caught sight of Jane’s eager grin she knew that she’d made the right decision.

“Ready to go?” Jane asked as she slung her own backpack over her shoulder

“Ready” Rose grinned as she took Jane’s hand, their fingers interlacing tightly…


	9. Wish You Were Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are folks, the final chapter, enjoy :=)

******

**One year later…**

Jackie rifled through the mail, putting the bills to one side and keeping some of the adverts that looked interesting. She paused at a thick envelop, the postmark looked like it made quite a trip, going through Hong Kong and Calcutta as well as a few other places that Jackie didn’t recognize.

Opening it, she smiled as she found a stack of photos, each with a little note written on it.

In the first one, Jane and Rose grinned widely for the camera from in from of Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum in Hanoi, Vietnam, the note reading _‘Greetings, comrade from Vietnam’_. In the next one they were standing in some village in what looked like India, the note reading _‘market day in India’_.

In the next photo they were inside what looked like a Berber tent (if the camel sedately resting nearby was any indication), the note had an arrow pointing at said camel and read _‘surprise dinner guest’_. The next one was of Rose, half covering her face in clear embarrassment, her whole body covered head to toe in various, bright paints as she stood amongst a crowd of equally colorfully-covered people, the note on this one said _‘A brightly colored rose during the Festival of Lights’_.

Another one was of Jane sitting cross-legged on a beach, grinning as she pointed down the baby sea turtles scurrying past her towards the surf, the note on this one reading _‘we shall overcome’_ with a little smiley face added at the end.

The next one was in Rome, Martha and Mickey standing arm and arm with Rose and Jane, the note reading _‘finding old friends in the Eternal City’_.

The next photo was of what looked like an archeological dig, a woman with long curly hair smiling mysteriously at the camera as she held a hand in the peace sign, while behind her Jane made a face at the back of her head, the note to this one was simply _‘River Song—you’d like her Mum’_.

The next one was of Rose and her friends Amy and Rory standing in what looked like a cemetery, all three laughing despite the gloomy setting, the note reading _‘Rose, Amy, and Amy’s idiot’_ with another smiley face added on.

Lastly was a newspaper clipping, it showed Rose and Jane standing in between several severe-looking men in paramilitary uniforms, with the headline reading ‘TWO TOURISTS HELP TAKE DOWN HUMAN TRAFFFICKING RING IN CHINA’, with the story going on to explain that a woman had escaped a brothel and had stumbled upon Rose and Jane, who had helped her free her sister and several other women.

Feeling a bit lightheaded after reading _that_ , Jackie found one final photo, her jaw dropping at the sight of both Rose and Jane grinning widely at the camera from in front of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California, USA as they each held up a piece of paper that read ‘just married’ while a young blonde woman stood between them grinning eagerly. The note on this one simply read _‘Please turn me over’_.

Turning it over, Jackie found a lengthy note addressed to her on the back

_Dear, Mum, sorry I didn’t invite you to the wedding, but it was kind of spur of the moment. I know that you’re still worried about Jane, but I love her Mum, I truly do. Remember you told me about how your mum didn’t like Dad but you married him anyway? It’s like that, you don’t think, you just do it. A lot has happened in the last month besides the wedding. Remember how I told you that Jane had amnesia? Well we just found out that she has a daughter, Jenny, that’s her in the picture. Oh you’d love her Mum, she’s wonderful, she’s trying to help Jane reconnect with her past, but Jane doesn’t really care, she says that as long as she has me it doesn’t matter who she was. Sorry I missed Christmas, but hopefully I’ll home in time for New Years. See you soon. Love Rose_

Smiling, Jackie pinned the photo up on the wall, nodding to herself in satisfaction at how _happy_ Rose looked, yes she may have dropped out of university to keep traveling with Jane but it was possibly the best decision she’d ever made. 

Now she just needed to find out what this ‘Jenny’ liked to eat, she was damned if she didn’t get to meet her granddaughter…

**END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it, the end of "The Professor", I'm hope people enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm actually thinking of doing either a sequel or a bunch of one-shots in this same 'verse, following up on Jane and Rose's (mis)adventures around the world, either way I hope you all enjoyed the ending here
> 
> Thanks for reading
> 
> \--AXEe :=)

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought :=)


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